A Cup of Tea
by WhenTheSkyeQuakes
Summary: In which Jemma Simmons and Natasha Romanoff share a cuppa and a story - and just maybe get life sorted out in the process. / Set during season two. Plot divergent.


**Hello everyone! It feels like it's been forever :) This is another one of my random "What If?" type fics, and I rather like the idea of it, even if I don't like my writing.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Avengers Tower didn't often see many visitors.

Sure, Clint and Co.™ often came and went, but it was rare that any outsiders to their small group could be found roaming the halls. Outside of the cat that Bruce had let in on a pang of pity, or the pigeon that Clint just couldn't let go, the Avengers remained the sole occupants of their tower.

That all changed on a wet and dreary New York afternoon. The sun wasn't quite strong enough to poke through the smog and cloud cover, but regardless the dim light outside Natasha's window dimmed even further.

The assassin paused midway through her morning stretches, green eyes darting to the floor-ceiling panes of glass. A Quinjet was docking on the above platform, the din of its engines muffled heavily. Still, a lifetime of training helped her acute senses pick up the vibrations.

The pattern wasn't typical of Tony's own jets. They sounded modified, clearer. Perhaps even better.

They had visitors. Rather smart visitors.

Natasha rose from her crouch, padding to the closet to pull out a shirt to toss over her sports bra. She'd made the mistake of going without it before, and after _those_ looks from Bruce, it became her last.

Stepping outside her door, the rest of the floor was empty save for one of Tony's automated sweeper bots. Another perk of the Tower - every Avenger had claim to a floor of their own.

The elevator whisked her up to the level of the Quinjet platform. Tony and Bruce were already standing at the lowered ramp, chatting amicably with two figures.

The first was a young woman, in her late twenties according to Natasha's hyperactive brain. Short caramel curls fell just to her lab coat covered shoulders. Upon closer inspection, her eyes were a golden brown. She was obviously excited about Bruce, shaking hands and mouth moving a mile a minute. It wasn't normal for her, Natasha noted. The girl seemed pained, but was trying to cover it.

The second was a man about the same age, but this time with shocking blue eyes, sandy hair and a light coat of stubble. It didn't take her long to pick out he was as weary as his partner, though still excited at the prospect of meeting Tony Stark.

His hand brushed hers, completely accidentally in all of their gesticulating, and the girl flinched. A look of panic momentarily crossed his features, but he tampered it down quickly as he scooted away slightly.

Something had happened, she decided immediately. And the Black Widow was going to find out what.

* * *

It didn't take all that long to corner the girl - Jemma Simmons. She was a polite, smart English agent, the perfect counterpart to her slightly grumpy Scottish partner.

She was also extremely terrible at lying.

Natasha cornered her in the kitchen the day after the duo's arrival. After introductions had been made, Natasha discovered the pair's intentions were to assist Tony and Bruce in the lab on understanding the Maximoff twins' powers and then creating assistive tech.

But that wasn't what the spy was interested in, instead padding into the kitchen to find the young scientist stirring a mug of tea absentmindedly. Natasha quickly grabbed her own cup, appearing in Jemma's eyesight to gesture at the kettle. "May I?"

The girl nodded eagerly after overcoming her momentary surprise. "Yes, of course. Be my guest,"

Natasha quickly poured a cup, dropping in a tea sachet and counting down the minutes until it was steeped. Neither spoke for the two minutes, Jemma watching the assassin from the corner of her eye as she read her science journal. Natasha pretended not to notice.

As she removed her tea bag, Natasha dropped in a spoonful of sugar and stirred. Finally, blowing on her cuppa, she settled her gaze on the biochemist. "So what happened?"

Jemma's eyes flicked to Natasha's green ones, panicked. "I - I'm sorry?"

"You and the guy, Fitz. What happened?" She was calm, coolly watching the scientist redden and struggle for a reply.

"I mean, nothing really - we aren't -" her gaze flattened as she sighed. "I'm arguing with the Black Widow, I can't exactly bluff my way out of this, now can I?"

Natasha allowed herself a smirk into her mug. "No, I'm afraid not."

Jemma sighed again. "It's . . . a long story."

"We have time," she nodded for her to continue.

Jemma pulled her lip between her teeth before exhaling. "When I was fourteen, I had enough high school credits for a diploma. Next step was university. It was lonely, being younger than everyone else there. Except for one student - Leo Fitz.

"He was as smart as me. Same age, too. Except he hated me. _Hated_ me. We fought, competed . . . Eventually got paired up for some project." She waved her hand at the memory. "After that, we were inseparable. They called us FitzSimmons, which I know annoyed the hell out of him for the longest time.

"We got accepted into Sci-Ops after uni. From there, Coulson's bus team. It was . . ." She struggled. "Quite the experience. When SHIELD fell, we discovered one of our agents was HYDRA. Fitz and I - we tried to stop him. Give Coulson his whereabouts. But he - Ward - found us first. We tried to run, but he trapped us in a medical pod and dropped us into the ocean,"

Natasha watched her blink back her tears, lip slightly wobbling. "He - He told me he loved me. As more than a friend, and then he . . . He . . ." Jemma took in a stuttering breath. "He saved me. But he couldn't save himself. I - I dragged him up. Fury found us, got us back to base. He was in a coma for nine days. Doctors said he wouldn't wake up, and even if he did, he wouldn't ever be the same. I'd lost my Fitz.

"But he," her nose scrunched up. "He did it. He woke up. He couldn't speak straight. Couldn't hold a fork. The hypoxia - it was too much. One day I realized it . . . I, I was making it worse. He was doing fine in rehab on his own, but whenever I came in he . . . stuttered. His progress dropped.

"So I left. Coulson sent me undercover in HYDRA, getting intel from their labs. And Fitz . . ." She sighed heavily. "Fitz was left on his own. He's better now, of course. Still stumbles sometimes, but he's him, more or less. But us - we're not the same. Never have been,"

Jemma swiped at a tear before resettling both hands back on her mug. "I'm sorry, this is quite unprofessional,"

Natasha offered her a smile. "Screw that. I know a thing or two about what you've been through - not all pleasant, is it?"

"I'd say not," Jemma laughed a bit bitterly. "I just wish things could go back to how they were - before all of this, I mean."

The red head cast her a knowing look. "Is that really what you want?"

"Of course!" Jemma burst out. "I can't imagine my life without him! I'm barely getting by as it is," she sobered toward the end.

Natasha nodded, taking a sip of tea. "So nothing shared in that medical pod was mutual?"

The biochemist reddened, stumbling to deny it, before sighing. "Not - Not everything. I just . . . I don't deserve him. He's saved my life - _twice_. And the one time he reaches out to me for help? I leave. I don't deserve him, Ms. Romanoff,"

"Natasha, please." She waved her hand. "And to be completely honest, everything you just said is true. You don't deserve him." At Jemma's stunned look, she plowed on. "But that's not going to stop him from loving you. That's not going to stop you from loving him."

"I - I wouldn't say - love's a bit strong a word -"

"Ten years from now," Natasha interrupted. "You have a house in?" She gestured for Jemma to continue.

"Perthshire. Scotland." The scientist gave in reluctantly.

Natasha grinned. "Ten years from now, you have kids. What are they like?"

"Well, considering common genetics, in correlation with -"

"Quick version,"

"They're . . . They're homeschooled. Too advanced for their grade, and we don't want them to go through what we went through at their age. We have a lab in the basement, and we use it to teach them -"

"Ten years from now, who is 'we?'"

Jemma swallowed heavily, silence hanging thickly in the air for a beat before her eyes grew wide with a dawning realization. "Fitz. It's-" tears began to sparkle in her eyes. "It's always been him, even when I didn't realize it."

Natasha nodded, a note of pride lacing her tone. "And what are you going to do about it?"

The scientist jumped off her barstool, tea sloshing onto the counter as she did so. "I'm going to find him, and I'm going to fix this."

Natasha watched as she ran out of the kitchen, tripping over the door jam as she did so. The spy smirked again into her mug, taking a long sip.

Ah, it could be fun to be Dr. Phil occasionally.

* * *

Natasha awoke to the sound of Quinjet engines. This time, like the event four years before, the engines didn't sound like Tony's. They sounded like SHIELD.

She emerged onto the landing platform just as the ramp began to lower, revealing a young, brunette woman and an equally young sandy haired man. The two were holding hands.

Natasha grinned. "Hello, Agent Simmons,"

The biochemist lit up. "Natasha!" She hurried down the ramp, gait a bit awkward at the angle of the platform. But even on flattened ground, she appeared to be . . . Waddling?

The woman embraced her in a tight hug which Natasha only hesitated for a moment before returning. And it was then she felt it.

A bump.

"You're kidding me," she raised an eyebrow at Jemma. She shook her head excitedly.

"I took your advice," she grinned sheepishly. "It was all worth it,"

Natasha smiled, nostalgic. "I had a feeling it would be,"

"Oh, and that's not the whole of it!" Jemma chirped, turning toward the Quinjet. Natasha caught the glint of a ring on her finger. "Daisy, I believe you can come out now,"

A grumbling was heard from the shadows inside, followed by a banging. "Agh, Jemma, I love you, but please don't leave your tech in places where it can connect with my head!"

The Inhuman finally emerged, a toddler on her hip. "Here, take your lovable snot bucket!"

The toddler giggled as Daisy tapped her on the nose, handing her off to Jemma. Natasha watched her with amusement, from her bright blue eyes to her bouncy curls.

"And this is Natalia," Jemma beamed proudly, the toddler on her hip staring intently at her namesake.

The assassin grinned, reaching out to retrieve the girl. "My god, Jemma, this is too much,"

"No, it's only right! She wouldn't be here without you," she offered softly.

Natasha carded her fingers gently through the child's caramel curls. "Oh, I am so having Stark make you a catsuit."

* * *

 **Wanna hang? I'm on Tumblr as WhenTheSkyeQuakes :D**

 **Alright, I feel like I don't know all of you as well as I should. So I'm going to put down five questions, and you answer in the comments! I don't care how long winded or self centered it seems, I just want to know you all as a fandom better :) You can ask me five Q's back, (appropriate, as always) and I'll respond :D**

 **1) Favorite song?**

 **2) What country are you from?**

 **3) What's your favorite Marvel character? Why?**

 **4) Favorite TV show?**

 **5) Which AOS character do you relate to most? Why?**

 **And that's all for now! See you all soon, hopefully :)**


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